Pope Francis’ funeral may have been impacted by tensions between the US and France over the Russian-Ukrainian crisis, since the French leader seemed to ignore Donald Trump.
President Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to pursue a peace agreement with Russia before the liturgy commemorating the pope’s life and achievements.
French President Emmanuel Macron visited Zelensky prior to their pow-wow to greet him, holding his hand tightly while they spoke.
As they conversed, Trump seemed to reach out to grasp Macron’s arm before shifting it between them for what many thought would be a handshake.
As the two engaged in a sharp exchange of words, only the Frenchman never entirely returned the gesture.
As if he overshot the handshake and pulled back, Macron’s hands are shown hanging close to Trump’s forearm in the footage, bringing his other hand up to the US leader’s elbow. But the two never made eye contact.
Many now think the European leader deliberately avoided meeting Trump with the same professionalism and affection as Zelensky, despite what seems to have been an awkward moment between the two.
But after Melania supposedly encouraged her husband to participate in the Catholic ritual, Macron and Trump were spotted holding hands during the sign of peace at Francis’ mass.
Due to their divergent views on how to handle the international issue and the amount of money that the US and Europe have contributed to Ukraine’s aid, Macron and Trump have recently had a tense relationship.
In February, the two spoke together at a White House press conference about the peace agreement for Ukraine.
Macron was determined to correct his American counterpart on the amount of aid Europe has supplied to Ukraine and to warn Trump against caving in to Vladimir Putin’s demands.
Washington used to talk about their bromance. Every narrative on US-French ties was accompanied by photographs of them smiling and holding hands in the White House Rose Garden.
But that has subsequently deteriorated due to the conflict in Ukraine.
Additionally, at a disastrous meeting with Zelensky at the White House in February, US Vice President JD Vance blasted the Ukrainian leader for seemingly ignoring the hand that fed him.
With Zelensky responding, “Thank you for your support,” to each X post, world leaders, including then-Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Macron, threw their support behind him.
However, it seems that Zelensky and Trump have reconciled, as the Ukrainian posted on social media following the Vatican gathering to describe it as a “good meeting.”
“We discussed a lot one on one. Hoping for results on everything we covered,” he wrote. “Very symbolic meeting that has potential to become historic, if we achieve joint results. Thank you, POTUS.”
At the pope’s burial on Saturday, the United States and France both made mistakes: Biden wore a blue tie, Trump wore a blue suit, and Macron’s wife Brigitte Macron chose not to cover her head.
Women were allowed to wear a formal suit or a modest black dress that fell below the knee, while men attending the funeral were required to wear a dark suit with a long black tie and white shirt.
As demonstrated by Melania Trump, Spain’s Queen Letizia, former US First Lady Jill Biden, and Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway, women are also required to wear a black headscarf, head covering, or veil as part of the dress code at a papal funeral.
However, Brigitte chose not to cover her head, and the first lady of France wore her blond hair in an almost impossible bouffant that hung down to her shoulders.
Giorgia Meloni, the prime minister of Italy, and Olena Zelenska, the wife of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, both chose not to wear black veils to the ceremony this morning in St. Peter’s. Meloni wore a black pantsuit.
Brigitte chose to dress in a black double-breasted blazer, a long, pleated skirt that fell past her calves, and a matching turtleneck for the solemn event.
